Photos: November rains in Chennai

I took the three photos reproduced below during the near-cyclonic weather in Chennai last November, and promptly forgot about them.

The first two pictures show waterlogged street and different hues of green. Rather good ones, I feel. But last one is significant. It caught, not too clearly though, two men in blue raincoats working on the local transformer.

The power had failed at about 3’o clock in the afternoon and we had reconciled to the possibility of spending a blacked out night. No one expected a repair job to be done in the heavy rain and strong winds.

Then we noticed the two maintenance men of the Power Board, determined that supply must be restored come hell or high water. They completed their job in about two hours, packed up their tools and left quietly. Nobody knew their names, nobody thanked them. The unsung heroes probably moved to another area which needed their attention.

One rarely sees such commitment these days. I should have called up the Electricity Office and conveyed my appreciation, but sadly, never got around to it.

Though belatedly, let me salute these dedicated men.

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